Saturday night was unseasonably cold and wet, but that was no deterrent to those attending the concert in aid of Stonehill House, who filled St Mary's Church almost to capacity. And they were rewarded for venturing from their warm homes by a captivating evening of music presented by Dr Hugh Stradling and his very talented friends.
The evening's programme could only be described as eclectic, ranging from Ludwig Beethoven to Tom Lehrer, but from start to finish it was both entertaining and uplifting. Given the quality of all the performances it seems a little unfair to single out particular highlights, but it also seems unfair not to acknowledge two contributions that, for me, were particularly outstanding.
The first was Elizabeth Nurse's violin rendition of Dvorak's Romance in F minor (Opus 11), accompanied by Clare Barr on the piano. I can think of no more fitting word than entrancing for this luscious item.
My second highlight could hardly be more different. I'm quietly confident that all those present will remember baritone Chris Smith's rendition of four Tom Lehrer "love" songs for quite some time to come. I think it would be fair to describe his performance as either electrifying or terrifying, depending on where you were sitting!
It was a wonderful evening that raised a substantial sum for a very worthy cause. Thank you, Hugh, for organising the event and for your accomplished piano contributions, and thanks to all of your many friends who also entertained us. Thanks also to those responsible for the delicious and deceptively substantial nibbles and wine. We had great fun – let's do it again soon!
For more photographs from this delightful evening, please visit the GALLERIES section.
